The Browns’ win at St. Louis brought a defining moment in the Lewis-Chudzinski relationship.

Trailing 14-3, Chudzinski, in his first year as offensive coordinator, stuck with the run. Lewis carried five times for 34 yards on a nine-play, 67-yard touchdown drive.

Momentum reversed. The Browns won, 27-20.

Lewis admits he wondered how Chudzinski would try to get out of a big hole.

“It was like, what are we gonna do now, other than what I’m used to from the past Cleveland Browns? You know ... shy away from the run and you’re gonna throw it all over the place.”

Lewis wound up with 17 carries, a heavy load for a guy coming off a foot injury. He gained 61 yards, setting a pace for the team’s 132 rushing yards, second highest of the season after the Bengal game in which Lewis tore for 216.

The Rams viewed Lewis as a threat, hesitating when Derek Anderson made play-action fakes.

“The way we were running the ball affected the way we went down the field,” the quarterback said.

Lewis wants to be the guy who hammers time off the clock with the Browns leading late. It didn’t work that way Sunday. With a chance to put St. Louis away, starting on the Cleveland 20 with 7:47 left, Lewis ran over the right side for 5 and 2 yards. Anderson got sacked with an empty backfield on third-and-3.

Anderson had taken only six sacks in six previous games.

The Rams got the ball back with 5:56 left, trailing 27-20.

The Browns took over again at their 16 with 1:52 left. Lewis got stuffed no gain on first down, and the Browns had to sweat out one last punt.

Chudzinski’s approach is to make the offense unpredictable with a run-pass mix.

“We have a lot of things we need to improve on,” he said. “We’ve got a long way to go offensively.”

If Lewis stays healthy, he’ll be a main man over the long haul. After seven years with the Ravens, he has grown on his new teammates.

Braylon Edwards put it this way Tuesday during an appearance on Jim Rome’s national radio show: “Baltimore was foolish in letting him go.”